The glitch that glitters

I am a frequent visitor to Dossnet cybercafe. I do have an internet connection back at my lovely room, but it's way too suck to be good. USM, despite it's status as the sole and the first University in Malaysia to be awarded the prestigious APEX status just recently, is lagging behind in terms of it's internet connectivity.

Dossnet charges RM2 per hour, but they cleverly set up a membership account to attract and maintain regular customers. For those who signed up as their member, the charge is down to RM1.50 per hour. I happily subscribe to this kind of shit to enjoy that 5o cents privilege.

The problem is, this membership programme has its own shortcomings. The idea is good, the implementation is not that good, and the end result is as good as shit. First, there was a glitch in the system that erased all the membership pre-paid amounts. My good RM10 that I paid on the registration was gone. Luckily, they generously credited extra RM10 back into my account. For free! Stupid cybercafe.

Last night, as usual I tried to log on using my username. But failed. Crap motherfucker. That idiot guy told me there was a glitch in the sytem. Again! This time, all the passwords have been gone. So they set up a new password for every members. 1234, that was the default password for everybody. Once connected, we could change the password accordingly.

A wild imagination struck my mind almost immediately. 'Members' don't usually frequented this cybercafe on a daily basis. Given that they didn't visit this stupid cybercafe for days, there exists a loophole. A BIG loophole. If I could hijack their username and change their password before they do, I could enjoy surfing here for free. There's some fun there, isn't it?. I'm always a big fan of anything to do with the word 'free'.

I pretended my pre-paid was exhausted (which awkwardly is true), so I need to top up the amount. As Qiqi, that damn cute worker searched my username on the main computer, I glanced through all the available usernames. I registered it all on my mind almost immediately. When it comes to remembering something, my memory is in the class of its own. Fucking genius.

I tried one of the username, and it worked as planned. Shit. I'm a genius. I succesfully turned the glitch in the sytem into glitters for my own benefit. It was their fault for failing to curb my curiosity and supreme imagination. I just took advantage of their own shortcomings.

So here I am...surfing this shit called internet in this damn bloody idiot CC for free. Muahahaha!!!

Off you go...

After much consideration, I've decided to temporarily closed Pancasara from outside visitors.

From now onwards, this blog would be fully mine. Only me can read this blog. Muahaha.

I'm currently having to deal with a galactically big problem. A supernova kind of problem. Even I myself are not sure whether I can weather this kind of storm in the end, but I'll try my very best.

To quote Tun Dr Mahathir,

"Extreme situation needs extreme measures"

And extreme measures need an extremist to give this fucking problem a headstart.

I'll be an extremist then. Haha. Kannasai!

How big is our Universe?

"If the Earth is the size of a pea in New York, then the Sun is a beachball 50m away, Pluto is 4km away, and the next nearest star is in Tokyo. Now shrink Pluto's orbit into a coffee cup; then our Milky Way Galaxy fills North America." — Wayne Hayes.

Revolution of Mi

Dalam beberapa hari lepas, hari jadi aku yang dah ke berapa puluh dah baru berlalu.

Tak sangka, ramai jugak yang masih hargai kewujudan aku.
Pada yang wish, aku betul-betul rasa terima kasih.

Mengimbau balik, aku telah dilahirkan di Kangar, Perlis.
Dan diberi nama Mohd Suhaimi bin Kamarudin.

Masa kecik-kecik, mak dengan abah panggil aku 'abang'.
Kakak sekali panggil aku abang, walaupun kakak lagi tua pada aku.

Bila adik aku lahir, aku dipanggil 'chaq'.
Panggilan tu kekal sampi hari ni.

Masuk sekolah rendah, kawan-kawan panggil aku 'Mi'.
Cikgu semua pun turut sama panggil aku 'Mi'.

Masa darjah 5-6, sepupu aku si Zahid yang mula-mula menggelar aku 'SK'.
Singkatan kepada 'Suhaimi-Khadijah'.

Entah kenapa, aku kuat digossip dengan kawan sekelas, Khadijah, masa sekolah rendah dulu.
Penggosip utama tak lain tak bukan adalah Azimie.

Tapi Azimie dan Khadijah sekarang pasangan tunang.
Mungkin akan kahwin tak lama lagi.

Busra pulak orang yang mula-mula panggil aku 'sumi'.
Panggilan paling pelik pernah aku dengar sampai hari ni.

Masuk sekolah menengah, lagi jauh terpesong.
Orang panggil aku 'Ewok'...walaupun aku tak dapat ingat senior mana yang mula-mula lekatkan gelaran tu pada aku.

Masa di Kulim, aku dapat lagi panggilan baru.

Ada yang panggil Suhaimi Squash.
Ada yang panggil Suhaimi cuti...sebab aku terlampau banyak ponteng kuliah.

Nates yang mula-mula bagi gelaran Suhaimi cuti.
Siap lakar dekat loker lagi gelaran bagi semua ahli Dorm Damai.

Di USM, tak banyak perubahan sangat.
Rata-rata kekalkan panggilan Mi.

Masa aku mula kerja, Ah Yong panggil aku mi.
Tak lama lepas tu, bila dah rapat, dipanggilnya aku 'mee goreng'.

Kawan aku, Zimah UPM pulak panggil aku 'mee'.
Rasa macam kelakar...tapi mungkin tu cara dia.

Rata-rata kat tempat kerja panggil aku 'Ah-Mi'.
Mungkin sebab majoriti situ orang cina.

Semua ada 'Ah' kat depan...Ah Bee, Ah Aeing, Ah Yong, Ah Chin.

Kawan aku, Saiful, dipanggil 'Saifool'.
Nasib baik bukan Ah Fool...lain macam pulak bunyi dengar.

Lagi 10 tahun, orang akan panggil aku 'Dato'.
Kemudian 'Dato' Seri'.

Dan bila aku dah 60-an, orang akan panggil 'Tun'.
Hehee

Better to understand a little...

...than to misunderstand a lot.

When I was dining out alone some two months back, I overheard a conversation between two persons.

It can't be help, I already developed this nasty habit of always eager to hear what other people are talking about. To those who know me, I am an extremely quiet and introvert person, the one who rarely strikes a conversation unless I feel I really have to.

These two young boys were talking about their future. One of them claimed to have been accepted into University of Malaya, one of our premier University. According to him, he was on way to enroll into Bio-Technology course, which I think comes under the Faculty of Biology.

I felt quite excited, after all, this young boy was going to study Science in UM. Quite an achievement. I listened carefully to what he was going to say next. He must have achieved a considerable good result in order to be accepted into the elite University.

But a moment later, my excitement was fast turning out to be an utter disappointment.

His friend asked him, what Bio-Technology would be like.

He gave this answer.

“Something to do with moving objects without requiring any technological machine, only by using biological advancement”

What the hell?

I know one such course (if there exist any) which can move objects without any technological assistance. That is called Black Magic course...no machine or technological assistance, only Bomoh's assistance.

I am no scientist. But as far as I'm concern, Bio-Technology deals mainly with genetic.

He understood the question, no doubt. But he tried to provide answer even though he was clueless. Because nowadays person with answer is seen as smarter, whereas person with a lot of questions tend to be viewed as dumber.

But it is not necessarily true.

I remember a quote I collected on the internet (which I saved in my hard-drive) a few years back.

"It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers." - James Thurber

We are living in a world which people prefer quick answers...without even knowing the real questions. In other words, we still do not know the real problems, but we are swiftly looking for the solutions. We don't want to be called stupid.

As happened to me during my secondary school. Teachers were clueless as what was happening to me...but they never asked me. And they never noticed or try to understand my "real" problems...yet they constantly looking for answers.

How could they solved my problems without knowing my real problems? Weird.

We should pause and think for a while...as Albert Einstein put it "The important thing is not to stop questioning"

For me, the one who asked the question to his friend should get an A for his curiosity...but the Bio-Technology-to-be guy should get an F for his ignorance (or should I say for his stupidity to look clever?)

Juara lagi...

Buat kesekian kalinya, aku kembali menjuarai kejuaraan Liga Fifa, versi 2008.

Pertama kali aku join Liga Fifa, pada 2007, di bilik Fisal.

Aku menang tanpa sebarang cabaran...jauh meninggalkan pesaing-pesaing yang lain beberapa tiang di belakang.

Aku tak main tiga game terakhir...sebab dah confirm menang. Team aku waktu tu cuma AC Milan.

Aku mula main Fifa secara serius bermula 2006. Masa tu, teruk aku kena belasah dengan Fahim dari BootSector...seingat aku dia menang 7-0.

Aku tergolong dalam kalangan orang yang degil. Kalau nak buat sesuatu, sama ada aku buat betul-betul, atau aku tak buat langsung. Tak ada istilah B, C, atau D dalam hidup aku, cuma ada A atau F.

Lepas kekalahan memalukan tu, tiap-tiap hari aku berkunjung ke BootSector...aku mula berlatih balik dari mula...dari akar.

Lepas beberapa bulan, aku berjaya kalahkan Fahim. Tapi aku takkan lupa jasa dia yang banyak tunjuk ajar aku selok-belok Fifa.

Firdaus selalu jugak ajak lawan...selalunya di Infinity. Tapi mungkin sampai sekarang dia tak sedar, kebanyakan game yang dia menang, aku sengaja bagi...untuk tak bagi dia patah semangat.

Lagipun cuma Daus satu-satunya teman aku untuk main Fifa waktu tu. Fifa yang membuatkan aku dan Daus begitu rapat.

Untuk versi 2007, ada dua edisi Liga Fifa. Satunya tanpa penyertaan Fuad, penyandang juara edisi sebelumnya (aku belum bertanding).

Edisi pertama Liga 2007 dijuarai oleh Zul. Aku nombor dua...Zul Sabah kedudukan terakhir.

Untuk edisi kedua, aku di tangga ketiga...paling teruk pernah aku dapat. Undian pasukan yang aku dapat ialah Lyon...sampai hari ni aku masih terfikir, kalau aku dapat pasukan lain selain Lyon, mungkin aku ada harapan cerah untuk juara.

Tapi akur dengan syarat pertandingan, aku tak merungut walau sedikitpun.

Dan aku tebus balik dengan kejayaan bergaya di Liga 2008 yang baru berakhir. Aku cuma bolos dua gol...dan mengekalkan rekod bersih tanpa kalah sepanjang pertandingan.

Yang paling manis, aku cuma guna Liverpool! Pasukan yang paling lemah antara kalangan yang bertanding. Terima kasih pada Torres yang menyumbang hampir 90% gol kemenangan aku.

Aku tak banyak berlatih secara fizikal...aku cuma tak berhenti berfikir pasal bola. Setiap saat dan ketika, aku fikir taktik dan skill yang perlu aku guna masa Liga...berbeza dengan lain yang hanya berlatih depan komputer, kemudian bila tak nampak komputer, segalanya hilang.

Takkan ada kejayaan tanpa usaha. Bakat takkan ke mana tanpa usaha yang berterusan. Mungkin kelebihan aku adalah tak mudah terpengaruh dengan serangan psikologi...walaupun aku sendiri tak pasti. Rasa gugup kadang-kadang akan menutup terus segala kelebihan yang kita ada.

Ini Liga yang terakhir. Lepas ni semuanya akan terpisah...mencari arah hidup masing-masing. Surat Perjanjian merangkap Watikah Kemenangan akan aku simpan baik-baik...tak ternilai harganya...

The next Nicol David?

Taken from The Star

Monday December 10, 2007

VANESSA Raj was the toast of the Penang elite squash squad when she returned the Nicol David Challenge Trophy to the state after a two-year absence.

Her efforts at the Muadzam Shah courts in Alor Star also helped Penang secure the team title at the national Milo-Elite squash tournament for Under-12 players.

Vanessa beat Celine Yeap 9-0, 9-5, 9-1 in an all-Penang final.

This is the sixth time that a Penangite had won the coveted trophy since its inception nine years ago by Nestle to unearth talented players for admission to the Bukit Jalil Sports School.

The inaugural winner was Sarawakian June Tiong (1999). Since then, Penang players have won it every year except in 2005 and 2006 when Tan Yan Xin and Yong Sue Ann, both from Selangor, captured the trophy.

The past winners from Penang were Nabila Ariffin (2000), Low Wee Wern (2001 and 2002), Nas-serine Ariffin (2003) and Low Wee Nee (2004).

“I am so proud to become the holder of the Nicol David challenge trophy and at the same time put Penang back on the pedestal.

“I dedicate this win to my parents (Robert and Flomina) for their support and encouragement and my coach of one-and-a-half years, Khoo Teng Hin,” said a bea-ming Vanessa.

As for attending school at Bukit Jalil, she said that she had not come to a decision yet.

Her coach Teng Hin said: “Vanessa has good potential to become a future champion. She has made tremendous strides under my tutelage.”

She was attracted to the game at six through her elder brother Brian’s involvement.

Brian is the reigning Penang Under-18 champion.

In the inter-team final against Selangor, Vanessa scored the winning point for Penang by beating Yong Sue Ann 9-7, 9-3, 9-4.

Lim Jee Nee had given Penang the opening point with a hard-fought four-set victory over T. Mithila, 3-9, 9-1, 9-3, 9-3.

Meanwhile, Shaun Kwan played a pivotal role in Kuala Lumpur’s success by winning the boys’ Ong Beng Hee individual trophy and the inter-team title.

In the individual final, Shaun defeated his team-mate Mohd Hanan 9-6, 5-9, 10-8, 9-2.

He also helped Kuala Lumpur to overcome Pahang 2-0 in the inter-team final with a 9-0, 9-5, 9-5 win against Al Nikc Ally Abdul Rahim.

Raja Abas Raja Azman had given Kuala Lumpur the first point by beating Choh Calveen 9-6, 9-2, 9-0.

A total of 120 players from all the states except Perak participated in this annual tournament.

******************************************************

I first met Vanessa two years ago. In 2006, I took up squash to fulfill my co-curriculum requirements. USM imposed a regulation to complete certain unit of co-curriculum activities for undergraduates, ranging from archery, badminton, swimming, tennis and lots more. Failing to meet this requirement would exempt us from graduating.

I am no stranger to squash. I was MSSM Malacca under 15 silver medallist in 2000, and won gold medal in the team event the same year. In 2003, I was made captain to lead KMK in KAKOM...in which I won every match, only dropping a set against a KMJ player. The rest, I won with straight set.

When I arrived in USM, I faced a harsh reality. There was a hell of good players here. I struggled to keep up, and finally resigned from taking squash too seriously.

I subsequently lost interest in squash...the game which I once regarded as " The Beautiful Game"

It was not until one late afternoon, when I decided to stay back after the class had dismissed. I played alone...trying to recapture my lost stroke. Squash is a game of art...a very beautiful art. If we hit the ball correctly, the ball will keep bouncing beautifully until it came back to us.

An Indian family entered, a woman with her daughter and son.

Feeling tired and worn out, I took a rest.

The woman asked me to be his son's sparring partner...an offer I couldn't refused. A young boy in his fifteen's, I thought I could teach him some lessons. After all, I have 5 years experience in squash, and had competed in numerous high-level tournaments.

But, in the end, it was him who had taught me some painful lessons. He crushed me 9-0, 9-0...without dropping a single point. I was sparring with a monster, albeit a young one.

He was non other than Brian...then a rising 13 year old squash prodigy. He is the elder brother of Vanessa. Fresh from winning the under 15 title, he was on a break before embarking on another tournament. Personally, I was not quite pleased with his somewhat arrogant attitude. But he was an incredible player...the reason (for me) it was OK for him to be a bit arrogant.

Vanessa was then an innocent ten year old girl. She constantly refused to strike the ball...citing she was tired as an excuse. Her mother asked her to have me as her sparring partner. She hesitated at first, but accepted her mother's request later on.

As a 20 year old boy, I was certainly stronger and faster than her. But she constantly outwitted me with her excellent shot. She has a very good stroke...and excellent technique too.

But whenever she failed to strike the ball properly, she would throw out her racquet and sat at the center of the court all alone. After all, she was only ten. Her emotion got the better of her almost all the time...something that her mother was trying really hard to fix.

When squash classes ended, I rarely went to the squash court. The last time I saw her, she was already about my height. She'd grown up rapidly...and she keeps improving up to this day. Gone are the days when I was able to bully her around in the court. She certainly can humiliate me at ease nowadays...the way her elder brother did to me.

It's not long before she could succeed Nicol David as the world number one. And I'm quite sure she can.